Pages

Categories

SOCIAL MEDIA

Andrea & Erika are hosting #thephotochallenge2015 on Instagram & since I'm not that great at remembering to play along daily, I thought I'd share my photos from June here on the blog! And just in the spirit of total disclosure - I completely failed on a few days...

Day 1 - Fresh

Ella's favorite summer snack? Fresh fruit!

Day 2 - PJs

fresh out of bed, 1/2 of her PJs, ready to brush

Day 3 - Kiss

we really need to work on our kissy faces...

Day 4 - Starts with F

Ella loves her FLAMINGO dress!

Day 5 - Party

we took a trip to Scratch Bakeshop to order the cake for her 3rd birthday party & came home with a vanilla cupcake topped with strawberry buttercream & rainbow sprinkles #shedidntshare

Day 6 - Kitchen

making up a batch of pasta salad in the kitchen #summerstaple

Day 7 - Shape

while watching the baboons, Ella said "look mama, it's a triangle!"

Day 8 - Forever

I hope she asks to take pictures with me forever...

Day 9 - Go

always on the go with my sidekick!

Day 10 - I Bought This...

I was absolutely starving on my way home from school & decided to indulge in a little Moe's

Day 11 - Mom

I love it when my mom comes to visit! Especially when she brings birthday presents!

Day 13 - Under $5

our local fro-yo joint has "Monday Fun-day" where you can get a 12 oz. cup with as many toppings as you want for $3.49 - it's a pregnant woman's dream... this is PB Fro-Yo with crushed Reese's & hot fudge - OMG Yum!

Day 14 - 9 a.m.

at 9 a.m. on June 14th... we were patiently waiting for Grammy & Gramps to surprise us!

I was checking our wireless bill & just about died when I saw this... Eric had over 3,000 texts last moth. I had 271. Before you think he has a whole lot of ladies on the side, know that this is the result of ridiculous group texts with his frat brothers.

Day 22 - Bag

so proud of her bag from the Lego store

Day 23 - I Spy

I spy Ella peeking out from underneath my bump...

Day 24 - Collection

Ella insists that the stones in between our patio pavers are her "rock collection" and is constantly trying to bring them inside!

Day 25 - Remember

my new Erin Condren planner because I have lots to remember these days...

Day 26 - Good Together

chips & a turkey sub... always good together

Day 27 - On My Left

I love it when this guy is on my left... because it means I'm not driving :)

Today I'm linking up with Erika & Andrea to talk about my favorite summer shoes! Summer is hands down my favorite shoe season because my feet can finally breathe again! Aesthetically, I love boots & flats, but my toes would much rather be free to wiggle as they please. Thus, I have a rather large summer sandal collection.

Up first, the absolute pride & joy of my sandal collection - my Tory Burch Chandler sandals. I adore these sandals & wear them at least 4 days a week. They're incredibly comfortable & go with just about everything. I love that they don't make noise when I walk & even though they were a total investment, I think they're worth it!

Another favorite pair of sandals is my Tory Burch Miller sandals. I bought these used from Tradesy & love them. I paid literally half of what they retail for, and they came looking brand new. My guess is that someone bought them, wore them once, decided they didn't fit right, and was looking to get rid of them. Their loss, my gain. I don't wear them for a long day on my feet, but they're awesome for quick errands or a night out.

I really love my Michael Kors flip flops that I scored at TJ Maxx this year too! They're great to throw on with just about anything, but look far more pulled together than my ratty, Old Navy flip flops - which I still refuse to throw out.

Other my absolute favorites from Gap that are no longer for sale...

And of course, I spend a lot of time in my sneakers every summer! My absolute favorite sneakers are Nike Frees...

We started off summer vacation bright & early because Ella was convinced that if she simply got me out of bed, then she'd be able to convince me to go to Miss Jennie's. After a long discussion, it finally set in that she's stuck with me. This is what she thought about that...

While Ella ate her cereal & fruit (her request), I whipped up my own breakfast of eggs, ham, & cheese.

After we ate, we headed right out for our morning walk! Ella was pretty excited about it...

Normally when we get home from our walks, we chill out & relax. But on Friday, we had afternoon of fun planned, so we had to get ready & set out for our errands first thing! Thankfully, I was able to get everything taken care of with one stop at Target...

We picked up some strawberry scented shampoo for Ella - she's been asking for it for weeks & did not let go of it the entire time we were in the store - along with a bunch of other "essentials." Then, on the way home, we made a pit stop at Sonic for a 99 cent drink. I am absolutely obsessed with their crushed ice - which I know is really random - and love that all large drinks are only 99 cents before 10 a.m.!

At this point, my Aunt Babs, Grandma, & Ella's cousin Ethan were on their way to our house for lunch & a trip to the zoo. We decided it'd be easier to feed the kids at my house than to take everyone to a restaurant, so I got to work in the kitchen. I whipped up a pasta salad, a bunch of cut fruit, and then grilled up some hot dogs. Pretty much the perfect summer meal for little kids...

Ella was pretty pumped to discover that they've added a "fossil digging area" - aka a sandbox. It's pretty gross if you ask me, but she absolutely loved it & I'm sure I'll be there with her often.

We managed to see everything, and the kids fell asleep as soon as we hit the zoo path back to my neighborhood. Since everyone was zonked out, my aunt & grandma decided to hit the road, & I had a little time to myself while Ella continued to nap upstairs. Eric arrived home around 5 & we headed out for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants - The Gate House. Ella & I were both thrilled to be seated outside on the patio!

Upon arrival back at home from dinner, I did some exciting stuff - like laundry & emptying the dishwasher - while Eric gave Ella her bath. When I came back upstairs, I found her happily watching Daniel Tiger.

Then when I came back downstairs, I found her father happily in his recliner, preparing himself for the US game vs. China. Personally, I spent the rest of the evening at my desk, working on the blog & a few other projects. Very low key end to a perfect start to our summer!